Charles f



N.FETERS, PHOTO-LITHORAPHER. WASHINGTON, Dv C.

with spiral springs ders K on said arms, and the under side of the hinge-k press and hold the rubbers L L rmly' u veo @met @frn CHARLES F. CHAMBERS, OF-HUTSONVILLE, ILLINOIS. 13mm Paten: No. 83,254., ma acabar 2o, 186s.

v n/IPROVED WASHING-MACHINE.

:The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same..l

To whom it ma/y concern Be it known that I, CHpnLEs F. CHAMBERS, of Hutsonville, Crawford county, Dlinois, have invented a new and `useful Washing-Machine; and I hereby declare the following to 'be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication. My invention relates to the class of washing-machines which operatel by the rubbing-action of corrugated surfaces, and isso'devised as to enable the operator to work in the most easy and effective manner both upon thick and upon thin fabrics.

My improvement consists- First, in a peculiarly-constructed yielding and concave board, to be used' in combination with a vibrating rubber.V l

Second, in a peculiarly-constructed vibrating rubber, to be used in combination with a yielding concave board, as hereinafter described.

F-i'gurel is a perspective lview'nf a' machine embodying my invention. i

Figure 2'is longitudinal section.

Figure 3 is perspective view of the board, witha portion broken out.-

A represents a water-tight box or tank, rectangular in its horizontal section, and having its bottom, a, sloping downward and rearward, as shown, andcontainng a wash-board or frame of the following construction:

Projecting from both sides of tank A, near its front, are guide-'eyes B, for rods G, which depend perpendicularly from a yielding frame, D, whose front edge is upheld by spiral springs E, `and whose rear edge rests upon the tank-bottom c.

Hinged to the front edge of yieiding frame D, by means of a bolt, F, is a series of ngers, G, whose upper surfaces forma concave, and are indented with transverse corrugations g, which are preferably pitched toward the front of the board, as shown.

From the under side of each linger, near its lower end, projects a pin or rod, H, which occupies 'an oriiice in the frame, and surrounding this pin is a spiral spring, I, one to each nger.

Extending upward from the rear portion of the tank is a frame, J, from which is suspended,'by arms K, apair of rubbers, L L', separated by an interval, M, and corrugated, l, on their under sides, as represented.

The hinge-bar, N, by which the arms K are sus'- pended to the frame J, is at the precise centre of the concave surface of fingers G.

The arms K, instead of being firmly united to the hinge-bar, occupy orifices n therein, and are provided O, which, bearing against' shoulbar, serve to down `upon the concave and corrugated fingers G,

while, at the same time, permitting said rubbers to yield therefrom.

P is a handle, by which the rubber is operated. h Q is a rail or shelf, over which the clothes may be ung.-

R is a cleat to -prevent the escape of the washed garments into the rear of the tank.,

The operation is as follows:

The tank having been properly supplied with suds, the garments to be washed are immersed in the rear 'portion of the tank, and one or more of them being drawn through the interval between the rubbers L L', as shown in iig. 2, said rubber is vibrated to and fro, so as to rub the garment. One hand may be 'employed in handling the garment, as represented, or, if desired, both hands may be used to work the rubber, in which case, the garment will itself work upward, by reason of the pitch given tothe corrugations of the lingers, and the action of the rubber, or by bearing more strongly in the downward than in the upward stroke of the rubber. A reverse of the above action may be secured, and in this way a garment may be successively washed on its upper and under surfaces without special handling.

'The normal pressure of the rubber may be increased or diminished by the operator bearing downwardly or upwardly upon the handle. y f

The clothes, as fast as washed, may be allowed to drop into the front end of the machine.

The board and rubber being held firmly to each other, while capable ofyielding to any extent desired, by means of the springs, enable the washing of the nest as well as of the coarsestiabrics, and the capacity for individual yielding of the fingers enables the rubbing-action to be applied to every part of the,v

garment, whether thick or thin. v

It will be lseen that at every backward stroke of the rubber, the, garment is returned to the hot suds.

While describing my preferred form, I reserve the right to vary the same. For example, the corrugations may be omitted from the rubbers L L', and the oper- -ative parts may be adapted to be usedin a common wash-tub, without employing the tank A.

I am aware that wash-boards, constructed with segments hungl on springs, have been used before, and do not desire to claim them broadly; but

What I do claim, is-

l. The peculiar construction of the said board, namely, the inclined and yielding frame D, supported in front on springs E, and at back on or near the tubbottom, and having hinged to its front and upper edge, the series of concave corrugated and yielding fingers G, whose lower ends are supported on springs I, in combination with a vibrating rubber.

2. Ifurther claim, 'the yielding and swinging frame K, having the double rubber L L', and handle P, in combination with a yielding concave board, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of whichy invention, I hereunto set my Gno. H. KNIGHT, JAMnsH. LAYMAN. 

